When we first attended the Stores Online Workshop, we did so with the intent of developing a web page, for our company (Designer's Workroom), that would be capable of taking estimates, not orders, online. To do this, it would involve a shopping cart program that would calculate measurements, fabric yardage, and give a subtotal for the client to consider (not purchase) if they would like to use our services. We sell a service, not a product, so I was interested in getting someone who had experience advertising business to business.

I was assured at the seminar that this service could be done, by their in house programmers, as part of the package deal. This turned out to not be true. We eventually, through much wrangling, got someone to agree to attempt this process. The parameters we were asked for to complete this process were so obtuse as to not really be workable. We were told at the seminar that there was comprehensive online support, which consisted of trained staff, available. This service has rarely been able to answer our most basic questions such as How do we put up an image of a product from Amazons' Affiliate Program, so that our clients can purchase this product through our site.

To date no one has been able to answer this question, even though a fifteen-minute explanation of being able to do this on Stores Online's client websites was given at the seminar. It was also stated that this process was so easy that someone with no computer experience could do it. The service representative to whom our business was assigned is rarely available during normal business hours. As soon as we signed up for this service (at a cost of $5000) which was supposed to be comprehensive marketing and web publishing, we were contacted by another company (affiliated with Stores Online) that told us that if we really wanted to get the top listings and profitability that Stores Online had promised, that we would need to spend another $5000-$10000 having this second company tutor us.

When attempting to apply any type of Html code to our unpublished page, we were unable to do so. In order to be able to see the final page, with our own Html code, we would have to pay the additional fee of $150 for publishing even though the page is not yet ready. The contract offered by Sores Online relieves them of any legal responsibility for anything pertaining to either the pages or the development of said pages. There is no legal recourse available if the service fails to deliver its promises. The company, also, has a no refund policy. We do not want a refund of already paid fees, only to be released from the contract. We are contacting the State of Ohio Attorney General's Office to file a fraud complaint unless we get a favorable reply from Stores Online.

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.